Category: blog

Whether it’s moving from playtime to bedtime, changing classrooms, or starting a new routine, transitions can be tough for young children. Kids thrive on predictability, so any shift in their day can feel big. But with a few thoughtful strategies, you can help ease these changes and build a child’s flexibility and confidence. 1. Give Advance Notice Children handle change better when they know it’s coming. Use simple, age-appropriate language: “In five minutes, we’re going to clean up and get ready for snack/lunch/dinner.” Visual timers or countdowns can also help prepare them. 2. Create Predictable Routines Consistency builds trust. Try to keep daily transitions as predictable as possible (waking up, meals, and bedtime). When children know what to expect, they

    You might hear people say, “listening to audiobooks is not reading.” Kimberly Rues article does a great job explaining the importance of audiobooks for emerging readers. For a child that has difficulty decoding they can easily fatigue due to overexertion of the brain transcribing symbols into meaningful language. The use of audiobooks helps in bridging the gap for emerging readers. Moreover, it can enhance the child’s comprehension because they are being exposed to information auditorily and visually.     https://www.edutopia.org/article/audiobooks-help-emerging-readers/

    As the weather begins to turn increasingly warmer and kids and parents alike look for more opportunities to get out of the house, motivating kids to spend more time with their therapy home programming is likely to encounter more resistance. This may be a great time to introduce and foster growth mindset in our learners. Researchers have found that it is possible to promote a growth mindset by teaching students about neuroscience evidence showing that the brain is malleable and gets stronger through effort, trying new strategies, and seeking help when necessary.   It is a good time to start having intentional conversations with our kids about some of the following strategies:    Strategies for Fostering a Growth

Going on vacation this summer and worried about your child not having school or missing therapy? No need to stress! The good news is that there are plenty of fun and easy ways to continue enhancing your child’s language skills while traveling. Here are some tips to keep up the progress: Talk About Your Travels Before, during, and after your trip, engage in conversations about where you’re going and what you’re doing. Encourage your child to describe the sights, sounds, and experiences they encounter. Ask open-ended questions like, “What do you think we’ll see at the beach?” or “Can you tell me what this place looks like?” This boosts vocabulary and narrative skills. Visit Interactive Museums or Zoos Many museums,

The playground is an excellent space for developing language and communication skills. Engaging in play fosters social interaction, cooperation, and creative expression. Here are some ideas for promoting language growth at the park: 1. Encourage Social Interaction Playgrounds naturally promote peer interactions. Encourage children to introduce themselves to new friends, take turns, and negotiate rules for games. By guiding them in social exchanges, adults can help children learn new words, practice conversation skills, and build confidence in expressing themselves. 2. Use Playful Language Narrating play activities and engaging in imaginative play can significantly enhance language development. Use descriptive words to talk about what children are doing such as, “You’re climbing so high up the ladder!” or “That slide is really

1. Encourage kids to take short movement breaks before sitting down to work 2. Break tasks into smaller, manageable steps to help them succeed 3. Give them options or choices instead of taking away all control 4. Teach basic mindfulness, breathing exercises, and help them recognize negative thoughts 5. Set up a quiet spot where they can go to regroup when needed 6. Pause and rewind a video if they’re ready to talk or ask questions. 7. Work together with your child or student to solve problems 8. Acknowledge their frustrations and praise their efforts to choose better alternatives Source:  Let’s Not Overlook Mood Disorders in Our Youth Population By Tere Bowen-Irish, OTR/L

Only have a pen and paper? No worries! The amazing thing about speech therapy is that you can practice it almost anywhere and everywhere, and all you need is a pen and paper. Whether you’re at home, on the go, or waiting for an appointment, you can work on improving your speech and language skills. Here are a few language-based activities you can do with just a pen and paper: Word Association Write down a word and then come up with as many words as you can that are related to it. For example, if you write “dog,” you might list “bone,” “bark,” “puppy,” “collar,” etc. This helps build vocabulary and strengthens connections between words. Sentence Building Write down a

My son has been saying moon all the time now, so obviously I got him a book about the moon and he loves it.  Moon (a peek a through book) by Britta Teckentrup is a book that highlights the phases of the moon and its influence of various animals.  The book contains some wonderful rhymes and is most appropriate for readers between the ages of 2-6.  However, my little guy enjoys it as well as long as I am the one talking through it, meaning I don’t stick to the text.  I point out animals I know he likes or will make a rhyming phrase/sentence for each picture.  He enjoys it a lot and if he points out anything and